Westby Becomes A City In 1920

Written by Kathy Anderson; published in The Westby Times April 3 and June 5, 2020

Bennet Thoreson, circa 1927

In early 1920, there was an undercurrent in the Village of Westby, a rumbling of things to come. The federal census had been taken in January and showed the Westby population was exploding; businesses were cropping up or being planned as fast as ideas and capitol could be generated; and, because of all this excitement, there was a natural next step that the community was hoping for. 

According to minutes from the February 20th Village Board meeting, a petition signed by 111 electors and tax payers was presented for consideration. A motion was made by A. J. Flugstad on the “petition of J. T. Hage, Eiel Eielson and others for the Incorporation of the Village of Westby with the adjacent Territory as a city be accepted. Motion carried.” This first action set in motion the many requirements necessary to legally change the status of Westby from a village to a city. City limits had to be identified. Wards had to be drawn. A census had to be taken. Then a special election had to take place. 

The first petition presented and accepted at the February 20th board meeting not only provided more than the required one hundred signatures, it also proposed city limits. The next step was to identify “wards” of the proposed city. As a village, all elections take place “at large,” meaning that board members could live anywhere within the village. That also meant if a village had six board members, all six could live on the same block. City government rules would change that, making representation more equitable. Councilmen in the new city would have to be decided from areas of the city called wards, based on population. That way, each area of the city would have its own representation and everyone would have a voice. From Village Board minutes on February 24th, “pursuant to adjournment the Village Board met with all members present.” At this meeting, a motion was made by O. P. Anderson and the board approved three areas of the city to be identified as wards. 

On March 5, the Westby Times ran a “Notice of Special Election” to be held at the Village Hall on April 6th at the same time of the regular election. This special election was held for taxpayers and electors to vote if Westby should be incorporated as a city. 

On March 19, two weeks after the notice of the special election, the Westby Times published the results of another census taken the prior week by Ole Fredrickson. It is interesting to note that the official 1920 federal census taken two months earlier was not adequate for the purposes of the special election. These census results showed a growth of 47% during the ten years between 1910 and 1920. Not even Milwaukee, with a growth of 22%, could compete with the boom that was happening in Westby. 

When the election day came on April 6, 1920, there were no surprises. The vote carried overwhelmingly 169 for and only 14 against incorporation. Just a bit more paperwork and a few more decisions were needed for Westby to become an official city in the County of Vernon, State of Wisconsin! 

On January 23, 1895, incorporation papers were filed with the State of Wisconsin to designate Westby as a village but, in 1920, residents felt that was not adequate for the booming population. The significance of becoming a city meant that residents would be more equally represented in their local government. A mayor, instead of a president, would be elected but the bigger change would be that alderman would be chosen from wards instead of “at large.” Designated wards meant that aldermen would be elected from different areas throughout the city instead of possibly all living on the same block. Representation would cover the entire community, not just the part of town where “the big houses were located.” 

Early in 1920, wheels were set in motion for a census to be taken, for wards to be drawn, and for an election on April 6 when citizens could vote if they wanted Westby to be designated as a city or stay a village. With an overwhelming 169 to 14 majority, the reality of the status change was getting closer. On May 7, the Village Board passed several resolutions regarding the next necessary steps and, on May 28, 1920, a special “Notice of City Election” was published in the Westby Times. June 3rd (100 years ago this week!) had been set as the date when a Mayor; City Clerk; City Treasurer; Assessor; Aldermen from three wards; Supervisors from the same; and a Justice of the Peace would be elected. The polls at City Hall would be open from 9:00 am until 5:30 pm. 

Quickly, on June 4, the Westby Times reported “a very light vote (152 ballots) was polled in all three wards.” Bennett C. Thoreson, who had been serving as village president, was elected to serve as the first mayor. Chosen aldermen, two from each ward, were names still familiar in Westby – Flugstad, Ramsland, Hagen, Halvorsen, Anderson, and Eielson. 

The final step necessary for the Village of Westby to become the City of Westby was to file incorporation papers with the State of Wisconsin. The twenty-seven page document, dated June 21, 1920, was received and filed at the State Department in Madison on July 1. Those papers, filed by Village Clerk Ole L. Leum, included the exact number of votes cast and the results of the June election; the description and boundaries of the three adopted wards; a copy of the May 7th village board resolutions mandating these wards and the election; and finally, the entire census roll taken by Ole Frederickson on March 31, 1920. Berndt Smerud was listed as the first and Alfred Johnson as last of the 1,235 residents in what would be the new City of Westby. 

The Letters Patent, or charter, issued to the City of Westby, was signed on July 1, 1920 by Wisconsin’s governor, Emanuel L. Phillip, and on July 28, the Vernon County Censor’s front page offered congratulations that “Westby has received her charter and is now officially a city with three precincts.” It was done, all the requirements had been fulfilled. 

The next August 6th City Council minutes were written as “The regular meeting of the Village Board was called to order by the president.” The August 20th minutes were written as “Meeting of the common council of the city of Westby call to order by Mayor Thoreson.” Why weren’t the minutes on August 6th noted as “city” minutes since the charter had already been received? Was the clerk just so used to the format he forgot to make the adjustment? No matter, by August 20, everyone recognized that each step and every requirement had been fulfilled and completed accurately, that the status of Westby had officially and completely changed from village to city. 

As a note to our readers, in 1892, Bennett C. Thoreson’s parents built what is now the Westby Area Historical Society’s Thoreson House Museum when he was eighteen years old. In 1900, Bennett married Matilda “Tillie” Jefson. All of Bennett’s siblings died as young children so he grew up mostly as an only child. Having five children with Tillie was quite a different family experience for Bennett and we have heard from many of their descendants who have reported stories of living in or visiting the house. Complete records are not available but it is known that Bennett served as Village President for some time before serving as Westby’s first mayor from 1920 until 1925. At WAHS, we like to believe that he accomplished his goal of seeing the village through to city status then stepped down for the next generation of movers and shakers to take the community forward. In 2020, we say Happy 100th Birthday to the City of Westby!